Tingling Feeling

[Hazmat35]

Hey all IHD members.  I have a question.  I have been on Hemo in-center Dialysis since April this year.  I have been lucky, that things have gone pretty well.  But I do have a concern that nobody can figure out. . .

About 30 -45 minutes into my treatment, I get a (for a loss of a better phrase) "Tingling" feeling over my entire body from head to toe.  It is ever so slight, but it is VERY irritating to me.  It is sort of like when your arm or foot goes to sleep, but not has bad.  That is what it feels like.  It lasts for HOURS after the treatment and goes away sometime during the night when I am sleeping. 

We have been trying to figure it out, trying different things . . . Different Profiles, more Heparin, Less Heparin, NO Heparin, a different Dialyser, and NOTHING.  Have been watching the Phosphorus, and Potassium levels and everything is where is should be. 

Like I said, this "tingling" is ever so slight, that I can feel it, but if you were to touch me, you would not be able to feel it.  I've had the Techs and other people, hold my arm or touch me somewhere, to see if they can feel it, and they can not. 

Has this happened to anyone?  It is driving me crazy!!!!!

[silverhead]

I know it is probably reaching, but, a possible allergy to the plastic in the lines?.........

[KICKSTART]

Yeah  someone else that gets it !!! ..Sorry for being so enthusiastic !  You are not going to like my answer though ..as far as we can narrow it down ..its FLUID shifting from one part of your body (or out of your tissues and into your blood stream) thats why it goes later or in your sleep , as your body settles back down ! 

[RightSide]

Yeah  someone else that gets it !!! ..Sorry for being so enthusiastic !  You are not going to like my answer though ..as far as we can narrow it down ..its FLUID shifting from one part of your body (or out of your tissues and into your blood stream) thats why it goes later or in your sleep , as your body settles back down !

KICKSTART,

I can narrow it down for you a little more:

It's not the fluid per se.

It's the electrolytes (sodium ions, calcium ions, potassium ions) in the fluid.

As those shift around the body, and some are dialyzed in or out, it sets up little electrical potentials (voltage differences), to which the nerves in the body react as tingling.  I've seen a scientific paper on that somewhere.

For myself, I have found that Neurontin at 300 mg/day helps reduce the sensitivity of my nervous system.

[Hazmat35]

Thank you KICKSTART and RightSide!  Those are great answers.  I will defiantly look into that!  makes sense to me! 

[RenalSurvivorDotCA]

KICKSTART,

I can narrow it down for you a little more:

It's not the fluid per se.

It's the electrolytes (sodium ions, calcium ions, potassium ions) in the fluid.

As those shift around the body, and some are dialyzed in or out, it sets up little electrical potentials (voltage differences), to which the nerves in the body react as tingling.  I've seen a scientific paper on that somewhere.

For myself, I have found that Neurontin at 300 mg/day helps reduce the sensitivity of my nervous system.

RightSide - would a small amount of sport drink (Gatoraid) help with this? I'm talking about 100-150ml of it during dialysis.  I know I drink a bit  of Gatoraid at night before bed on dialysis days.

[KICKSTART]

Cheers Rightside !  Marvellous how we can get answers of here that even the renal staff dont know ! I have asked several and got a blank stare!

[RightSide]

KICKSTART,

I can narrow it down for you a little more:

It's not the fluid per se.

It's the electrolytes (sodium ions, calcium ions, potassium ions) in the fluid.

RightSide - would a small amount of sport drink (Gatoraid) help with this? I'm talking about 100-150ml of it during dialysis.  I know I drink a bit  of Gatoraid at night before bed on dialysis days.

I don't know for sure.

But I imagine that if you start dialyzing with a pretty decent balance of electrolytes to start with, the machine won't have to make such violent changes to your electrolyte balance.

[needlephobic]

I have the same prob. I have asked the techs nurses and they just don't know why I would have that feeling. but I rather have that then cramps anyday

[Restorer]

I get a feeling like that toward the end of my run. It hasn't always happened, but I don't know if it happens when I take more than a certain amount of fluid off, or if it started when I got switched to a 2K bath.

[Hazmat35]

Mine starts about 30 minutes into the treatment and lasts until will into the night / early morning the next day!  I drives me crazy!  Some days it is worse than others, but it ALWAYS happens.   

[gothiclovemonkey]

i have something similar no one can figure out, and it causes my nose to itch like crazy. dr said hed never seen anything like it.

[Hazmat35]

i have something similar no one can figure out, and it causes my nose to itch like crazy. dr said hed never seen anything like it.

How long does it last?  Mine lasts for HOURS!!!! after dialysis!

[Restorer]

Mine lasts anywhere from just a few minutes after I get off dialysis, to hours later. It helps me to eat and drink something (water, sugar, electrolytes).

[gothiclovemonkey]

i actually noticed it also helps me to eat, if im chewing its not as noticable. it really is not a nice feeling tingling in ur face especially. I thhought of what it kind of reminds me of. When u lay ur bare head against a moving vehicles window!

[needlephobic]

Mine last the rest of the day after dialysis and into the night the next day I am good to to go

[Hazmat35]

I'm glad that I am not the only one with this wierd feeling.  It has been driving me crazy.  Thanks for all the info! 

[JasonEb]

Cheers Rightside !  Marvellous how we can get answers of here that even the renal staff dont know ! I have asked several and got a blank stare!

It's my experience that there is a LOT the renal staff doesn't know.

Even when I do get answers to questions, I verify it elsewhere before trusting it.

[RightSide]

I should mention:
If the tingling feeling is when you're NOT at dialysis (say when you're trying to sleep during the night before dialysis), then it could just be neuropathy--nerve damage--caused by the renal failure.

I had tingling all the time like that, so my neph put me on Neurontin.  It helped but didn't stop it.

The neuropathy may be related to the buildup of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) in the body of a dialysis patient.  (Those compounds are big molecules and not dialyzed out.)  I posted on that once before.

In Europe, they're experimenting with benfotiamine to reduce the AGE load in the body.

With my dietitian's approval, I've started taking benfotiamine myself.  I believe I have experienced definite improvement, particularly in the middle of the night when I used to wake up itching and tingling and couldn't get back to sleep.  But it could be just a placebo effect, who knows.

[Hazmat35]

I should mention:
If the tingling feeling is when you're NOT at dialysis (say when you're trying to sleep during the night before dialysis), then it could just be neuropathy--nerve damage--caused by the renal failure.

I had tingling all the time like that, so my neph put me on Neurontin.  It helped but didn't stop it.

The neuropathy may be related to the buildup of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) in the body of a dialysis patient.  (Those compounds are big molecules and not dialyzed out.)  I posted on that once before.

In Europe, they're experimenting with benfotiamine to reduce the AGE load in the body.

With my dietitian's approval, I've started taking benfotiamine myself.  I believe I have experienced definite improvement, particularly in the middle of the night when I used to wake up itching and tingling and couldn't get back to sleep.  But it could be just a placebo effect, who knows.

No, it only happens during and right after Dialysis.  Sometime during the night it goes away, and the next morning, I am good to go. 

[KICKSTART]

I crave sugar when i get home. I also find the tingling gets a lot stronger during my first meal after dialysis , once ive eaten im fine ! , oh and should have added and eaten and eaten ...it makes me ravenous !

[Bruno]

I thought we were not supposed to drink Gatorade because of the salt content. I get the tingly feeling...it stops me sleeping properly. So I usually get out of bed and sit up for a while. That works sometimes. I've never thought of asking for help, just assumed it went with the kidney problem. Thanks everybody, this topic has been an eye opener.